What I love most about the Honda Fit EV are the three driving modes: Sport, Normal, Econ. Add in the two gearing options, D (allows coasting) & B (regenerative braking always on), and I have 6 distinct driving styles to play with.
One thing to keep in mind, though, is that you can drive efficiently and economically in any of the modes. In reality, the Normal and Econ modes are just restrictive settings that allow the driver to only use a fraction of the car's performance (think 'governors' on ICE engines). Sport mode is the least prohibitive, and can be considered the truest representative the the cars capabilities.
I am still surprised by how readily the car accelerates from a complete stop. I tend to use this mode when I am sitting at a stop light and need to change lanes before the next light. It is super easy to beat any other car off the line - without having to squeal the tires or have the engine roar. It is also great when I enter the freeway, as I can get up to speed well before reaching the end of the ramp.
That said, driving all the time in Sport mode can become a real headache. The car accelerates so quickly that my wife complains of whiplash. In order to "cool it" in this mode, I have to be very light on the pedal, and extra conscientious with my speed. So, while it might seem ridiculous to have the restrictive settings of Normal and Econ mode, they come in handy more often then not.
I pride myself in being able to drive as aggressive as anybody, but pride myself even more in being able to drive as smooth than anybody, and that is what I like about Normal and Econ. When driving a typical ICE car, if I am too light on the pedal, the transmission kicks a little bit between gears. This car, on the other hand, has no gears to jump between, so going up and down a range of speed in Econ mode is as smooth as butter. Be warned though, driving Econ in the B gear allows only very slow acceleration. Econ also inhibits the other functions of the car - like the climate system - to conserve power, but it isn't a big deal. I tend to use Econ mode the most because I like to see how much efficiency I can get.
Normal mode is programmed to give drivers the feel of a regular car's speed and acceleration, and does that just fine. My wife uses it the most, and when I want to good no-muss no-fuss drive, Normal mode is what I use.
Lastly, the D gear and B gear are quite different. D gear is like a normal car. I can accelerate freely, and when I take my foot off the pedal, the car coasts. When I depress the brake, regenerative braking is activated with little lag. B gear on the other hand, has regenerative braking on the entire time, so it decelerates as soon as I take my foot off the pedal. I like it when driving around town and in heavy traffic, because I can stop on a dime when I need to. It is a pain when driving uphill though, because it saps power even when my foot is on the pedal. I only wish B gear would only turn on regenerative braking after I remove my foot from the pedal.
